Police on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast are investigating the vandalism of approximately 70 trees that they say were deliberately cut, leaving them to die over the next year.
RCMP say the City of Powell River was notified of the damage to the fir trees, located in the community’s old golf course lands, on Nov. 26.
Police say municipal staff inspected the site and found the trees were left standing but had been cut around their bases, likely with a chainsaw.
The damage was described as “multiple cuts around the entire trunk,” and officials say all the trees are expected to die within the year.
“We’d like to get to the bottom of this. It is a a serious act of vandalism,” said Kevin Clarkson, the manager of parks and facilities for the City of Powell River.
“There’s about 70 trees that have been cut. It’s not a small feat,” he added in an interview with CBC News.
Clarkson said that many of the trees that were cut were older-growth Douglas fir that had a lot of value to the community and ecosystem.
“There are trails in there that kind of lead down to an area called Second Beach as well as kind of extend further and go towards the centre of town through Willington Beach Park,” the official said.
“So it’s frequented quite regularly by a number of residents, and used extensively.”
Police say anyone with information about the damage to the trees are asked to contact investigators or Crime Stoppers.
